Longtime Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek died Sunday in Los Angeles after battling pancreatic cancer, the show said in a statement. He was 80.
“Jeopardy! is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends. Thank you, Alex,” read a message posted on the show’s official Twitter account at 9:27 a.m. PT.
Jeopardy! is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends. Thank you, Alex. pic.twitter.com/Yk2a90CHIM
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) November 8, 2020
Trebek revealed in March 2019 that he had stage 4 cancer, and kept fans updated about his illness and treatments.
“Just like 50,000 other people in the United States each year, this week, I was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer,” he said at the time. The TV host admitted the prognosis was devastating, but said he planned to fight. “And with the love and support of my family and friends and with the help of your prayers also, I plan to beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease,” he shared.
In July of this year, Trebek said he was “doing well” and looked forward to returning to the syndicated trivia show.
“I’ve been continuing my treatment and it is paying off, though it does fatigue me a great deal,” Trebek said in a video posted to the show’s Twitter account.
Alex Trebek was born in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada on July 22, 1940. He began his broadcasting career in Canada before landing a job hosting Jeopardy! in 1984. He continued taping episodes throughout his cancer battle.